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Religion

    John Heizer begins his final Sunday service after 50 years of being the organist at Zion Church of the City of Baltimore on Aug. 25, 2024.
    Organist leaves job of a lifetime as church faces uncertain future
    John Heizer has played the Sunday service at the historic Zion Church of the City of Baltimore since 1974.
    Maryland  Attorney General Anthony Brown.
    Newly named member of Maryland hate crime commission resigns, cites ‘smear’ campaign
    Ayman Nassar said he withdrew from Maryland's hate crime commission after an “online harassment and smear campaign was launched” against him.
    The Jewish Museum of Maryland, at Loyd St. and Watson St. on March 2, 2023.
    Arrest made in fire outside Jewish Museum of Maryland
    Police said they identified the man and got a warrant for his arrest Friday. He has a history of fire-related crimes.
    The Jewish Museum of Maryland, at Loyd St. and Watson St. on March 2, 2023.
    Cause of fire outside Jewish Museum of Maryland under investigation
    The cause of a fire just outside the locked front gates of the Jewish Museum of Maryland is under investigation, according to the Baltimore Fire Department.
    Rachael Denhollander, who was sexually abused by Larry Nassar, speaks after Nassar’s sentencing hearing in Michigan in 2018. Officials at Greater Grace World Outreach said they have enlisted Denhollander as a consultant as the church prepares to hire an independent firm to investigate its handling of sexual assault allegations.
    Greater Grace church says it has enlisted abuse survivor who helped take down Larry Nassar
    Jim Hadley, one of the church elders, said on Sunday the church has “engaged” Rachael Denhollander as a consultant. Denhollander is a Michigan attorney and former gymnast who was the first to publicly come forward with allegations that Nassar had abused her.

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    The pulpit in the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church sanctuary is photographed on July 8, 2024.
    A developer’s sudden death puts a Mount Vernon landmark back in limbo
    A 150-year-old church overlooking Mount Vernon’s Washington Monument is for sale this month after the developer behind a controversial plan for the building died.
    Paul Jan Zdunek, left, chair of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, and Archbishop William Lori, right, provide updates on the Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case during a news conference on Monday at the offices of Brown, Goldstein & Levy in Baltimore.
    Mediation eyed as next step in Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy case
    Archbishop William Lori and Paul Jan Zdunek, chair of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, said they’re looking to move into mediation to reach agreements on the number of claims of sexual abuse claims filed in the case, compensation for survivors, and policies and protocols to protect children.
    A bullet fired in the Brooklyn Day shooting went through Charlene Bowie’s upstairs window and grazed her granddaughter’s back. She later found it in her Bible.
    The Bible that caught a bullet in Brooklyn Day shooting
    Charlene Bowie’s Bible has a bullet lodged in Jeremiah, right between chapters 29 and 30.
    A community of Burmese immigrants organized pushback to the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s plan to close its church. Lun Khek, the extraordinary minister of communion at Our Lady of Victory, is pictured at a morning Mass on June 2, 2024.
    A community of Burmese refugees fought to keep their Catholic church open
    When the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced plans to close dozens of Catholic churches, Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus was on the list. But parishioners, including many Burmese refugees, fought successfully to save a church that many say has become like a second home.
    Survivors of Greater Grace and their loved ones held a protest outside the Baltimore campus Friday.
    Greater Grace church vows to probe its handling of sex abuse allegations, publicize the findings
    The East Baltimore-based church expects to select a firm in the next few weeks and anticipates the work could take up to six months. Pastor Robert Colban's empathetic tone Sunday marked a departure from the more defensive sermons delivered by another pastor in response to a Baltimore Banner series of articles.

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    Survivors of Greater Grace and their loved ones held a protest outside of the Baltimore campus on June 28, 2024. The protest lasted about five hours.
    Dozens protest at Greater Grace church in wake of sex abuse investigation
    Many former members of Greater Grace World Outreach flocked to the East Baltimore church Friday evening to protest leaders’ handling of allegations of child sex abuse — the subject of a Baltimore Banner investigation.
    St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary, is seen on Sunday, June 16, 2024 in Baltimore. St. Gregory is among nearly a dozen predominantly Black churches set to close under an Archdiocese of Baltimore reorganization plan.
    Black Catholics are still trying to process looming church closures
    The finalized plan by the Archdiocese of Baltimore affects many of Baltimore’s predominantly Black churches.
    A Maryland couple was among the more than 1,300 people who died during extreme heat at the Hajj pilgrimage in the Middle East.
    Maryland couple dies during extreme heat on Hajj pilgrimage in Middle East
    A Maryland couple was among the more than 1,300 people who died during extreme heat at the Hajj pilgrimage in the Middle East.
    Greater Grace World Outreach Pastor Thomas Schaller said during a sermon Sunday that the church is being “misrepresented” and “attacked.” He denied allegations of impropriety.
    Baltimore pastor defends church’s record on child sex abuse: ‘If we know it, we act on it’
    “We are being attacked,” said Greater Grace church's head pastor, Thomas Schaller.
    Illustration of two women and one man sitting at a table with disposable coffee cups in front of them. We see the back of one woman's head and the other woman leans forward to hold her hand. A hazy image of a Jeep floats in the background.
    One family’s agonizing journey to uncover secrets and abuse at a Baltimore church
    Accusations of child sex abuse extend to Greater Grace World Outreach's churches in Ghana. One family confronts church leaders, but discovers the primacy of the church's "brand."

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    Illustration shows six individuals on Zoom screens in various stages of research or on the phone. There is a large millstone behind them and padlocks sprinkled around the image.
    Web of megachurch sex abuse leads to a trusted pastor and his sons
    A group raised to revere their pastors reaches out to former classmates and friends. They discover dozens of abuse allegations, including several linked to one family.
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    This megachurch warned of hell. Then it concealed its own sins.
    A campfire confession exposes decades of child sex abuse claims at Baltimore megachurch — and inspires a group to seek justice for alleged victims.
    Holy Rosary church hosts the Polish festival every fall.
    Baltimore’s once-thriving Polish community takes another hit in Catholic Church reorganization
    Baltimore's Holy Rosary Catholic Church was long a beacon for Polish families. Its parish will soon merge with a Latino one.
    PraiseBuildings focuses exclusively on the sale and leasing of religious property, including churches, synagogues, temples, schools, daycares, camps, retreats, parsonages and land. (photos courtesy of Praise Buildings)
    How to sell a Catholic church
    Removing bodies, finding new homes for stained glass and deconsecration are among the steps of a Catholic church sale — which can take a decade
    Reverend Matthew L. Watley delivers his sermon during Sunday service at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church, Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Calverton, Md. The suburban Maryland congregation, led by Rev. Watley, has landed at the top of a list of the fastest-growing churches in America.
    How this Maryland pastor ended up leading one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation
    In 2019, the year Kingdom Fellowship AME was founded, the church had about 3,000 members and an average weekly attendance of about 1,800 people, according to the church’s figures. Today, membership has swelled to nearly 8,000, and its weekly services draw about 2,500 attendees altogether.